By Roderick Carmichael
As an alternative to my intended announcement of my circuit entry, this came in at a distant second.
My Grob Single Astir - among the more than 1,200 variants produced – has probably seen every permutation of niggles and problems in the model’s nearly 50 years, but jammed ‘UP’ gear was not one that I’d heard of.
A little bubble of lift gave me the opportunity for a couple of orbits and extra time for some further wrenching/gentle toggling of the undercarriage handle, the futility of which became obvious days later when pictures of the seized over-centre mechanism were shared.
No, it was time to rejoin the pattern. Every take-off and landing is watched and judged by at least a portion of club members present on the field but my earlier radio announcement and further conversation about my little dilemma with the CFI guaranteed me a full house of onlookers, critics and iPhone recordings. Have a look at one of them here tinyurl.com/underup1
In my favour were some very still conditions and fairly green, lush grass on the right side of the tarmac. The blare of the screeching alarm (warning that the air brakes were deployed but not the wheel!) from the speaker right behind my head was recognised quickly enough not to bother my concentration on making a smooth touchdown. It was a cracker, not dramatic at all and slowing to a stop in close to normal distance.
I was soon joined by my club cohorts and after inspecting for damage, of which there was none - “looks cleaner” was one comment – and some happy snaps, the serious business of extracting WVJ from the field began. Luckily we had sufficient helpers to raise the 250KG of Astir onto the trailer cradle, allowing the satisfying confirmation that the gear was utterly jammed in the ‘UP’ position.
The following dismemberment and packing of WVJ into her trailer was a great learning/team experience, as most of us had limited rigging/derigging experience. Thankfully, the trailer – with tyres inflated - was ready to leave from behind the hangar.
Our little club has a well established level of communications for each phase of the day’s flying, starting with a pre-Ops. Briefing always includes group discussion about any irregular incidents like the one on this day. The knowledge of instructors and senior and experienced members shines through at these times, and we’re all the better for it!
